Many goods, such as pharmaceuticals, consumer electronic goods, replacement car parts, to name just a few examples are frequently counterfeited. Counterfeited goods are generally of inferior quality to original goods, and may in many instances be dangerous. Often, however, counterfeited goods are difficult to tell apart from original goods.
When consumers inadvertently purchase counterfeited goods harm may be caused to the goodwill and reputation of the brand of the goods. Physical harm may also be caused to the consumers or devices in which counterfeited goods are used.
Security features, such as security labels are commonly used to help consumers identify original goods from counterfeited goods. An effective security feature should be difficult to reproduce by a counterfeiter, and should allow a user to quickly and confidently identify authentic original goods.